1. Field of the Invention
A modular decklid hinge with a helically coiled spring forms a hinge mechanism for a vehicle body decklid throughout a wide variety of vehicle styles and models without substantial modifications to the multiple components of the hinge mechanism by relying upon adjustments to the spring tension applied to the pivot lever carrying the decklid.
2. Background Art
During assembly plant production of motor vehicles, a rear decklid (trunk) hinge system is installed in the vehicle in a number of ways. One type of hinge system has a pair of single pivot straps attached between the rear shelf and the decklid. A pivot axis extends through the pair of straps for displacing the decklid secured to the straps by a power source opening the decklid. The power source is provided by a pair of cross-car mounted torsions springs, which are pre-bent steel wires that provide torque between the vehicle body and the decklid. Installation of the hinge pair and torque rod pair is labor-intensive, since the hinges must be installed to connect the decklid to the vehicle's shelf panel, after which the torque rods are installed into the hinge system. Also, because of the limited and awkward access into the rear compartment, installation of torque rods is difficult and can cause injury during their prewinding onto the torque rod attachments of the hinge.
Because each vehicle model is different in body styling and internal structure, the above described system may not be universally selected as it may obstruct useful space or not fit other models without substantial changes to multiple parts of the hinge. A hinge system may be designed, tooled and manufactured specifically for each vehicle model because the components themselves, such as the straps, torsion spring, and body (rear shelf panel) attachment, must be specifically shaped or positioned for each model configuration. Previous attempts to standardize hinge components among a selected variety of different vehicles have not been successful in universally adapting previously produced units and have produced modest savings only.
A previous attempt to provide modularity involved a four bar linkage combined with a gas strut to eliminate installation of torsion springs under the shelf panel. A pair of four bar linkages attached between the gutter and decklid are powered by a pair of charged nitrogen springs to open the decklid. However, such components as the nitrogen charged springs are complicated to fabricate, assemble and install. Moreover, they obstruct access to the compartment from the sides of the vehicle.
Another design includes a single pivot with a four bar linkage and integral coil spring assembled in a housing. This hinge uses a helical coil spring for biasing a four bar linkage toward an open position, but these components and the housing must also be tailored to each vehicle environment and each vehicle's decklid performance specifications. As a result, none of the known production rear decklid hinges provide useful standardization across a variety of many styled vehicle designs.